New eBay $5.00 Coupon Code Expires Today! Got Fun Freebies! YMMV

A new eBay coupon code [PERKMEUP] was released the other day. It's good for $5.00 OFF almost any order and was apparently intended for accounts that have not placed an order in more than 12 months --- I didn't see the small print myself, I only saw the coupon code on the eBay front page. But the code seems to be working for nearly everyone, so whether it was programmed into the system incorrectly or eBay simply decided to allow it to function as first come, fist served I cannot say. YMMV. Code is scheduled to expire at the end of the day.

Jolly Rancher Hard Candy (Original Flavors)

As finding this coupon was a totally unexpected boon, I just grabbed a couple of cheap items which totaled $5.45 and thus, were free for me as I have a random eBay GC with a few odd cents left on it that I use to cover coupon overages, tax and such and this GC had enough to cover the 45-cents left post coupon application.

What did I get? Well, I picked up a bag of Jolly Rancher hard candy and a tiny pair of swim goggles for 18" Dolls. Both items included free shipping. This was a fun get!

18" Dolls Swim Goggles

Did you try the coupon? Did it work?

Thanks eBay for the $10.00 #Free #Coupon!

Yesterday, eBay ran a very short-lived Facebook promotion which offered a free $10.00 coupon (Save $10.00 Off any purchase of $10.01+) for watching a simple video advertising the service and clicking a link to "Get your offer." The promotion was limited to the first 50,000 redemptions, but luckily, I was able to get in on the deal before it expired.

Keurig Hot 2.0 My K-Cup (eBay Vendor Image)

I was able to get a NIB Keurig Hot 2.0 My K-Cup ($7.99) and a miniature white 18" Doll Scale toy iPad ($2.49). The order total was $10.48 as both items included free shipping. The coupon brought this down to $0.48. Also, I happened to have $1.17 left on an old eBay eGC that I'd earned via another promotion long ago. (I don't shop on eBay very often, so this poor e-gift certificate was merely sitting in the cloud idly holding its balance.) So I used this eGC to pay the $0.48 balance. I got two nifty items totally free! This little interlude made for a fun lunchtime.

I originally purchased some cheap plastic, made in China, My K-Cup knock-offs --- also on eBay --- so that I could brew my own coffee in my Keurig 2.0 machine, but unfortunately, as is generally the case with cheap shit, these lasted barely a few months. I drink a lot of coffee. So I decided to buy the official Keurig item and had been looking for a good deal on one. Deal done!

The 18" Doll iPad was just a fun filler item to reach the $10.01 threshold needed to use the promotional coupon, as the 2.0 My K-Cup turned out to be on sale (from the vendor I purchased it). The iPad is only a cute little toy, so the fact that it's cheap plastic, made in Hong Kong, won't matter much.

What did you do for lunch yesterday?

BTW, Alexa, enable the Rock 100.5 Skill. I'm rocking out today! (I'm actually listening to the radio right now as I type this.)

Get over Hump Day...
-- Θεα

A Castle Modern #MiniMe: @ModDollHome -- a Staging Showcase for 18" Scale #DollhouseDecorators #Hobbies

I've collected miniatures since I was a young child. Tiny (working) versions of actual objects have always fascinated me. I never played with these items as "toys," preferring instead to setup elaborate still life stagings of the dreamscapes in my mind. As a child who viewed much of the world around her as nonsensical and alien, collecting and later crafting my own miniatures allowed me to fashion my own world, one that was natural to me. Dolls were always secondary to the miniature landscapes, buildings, vehicles and furnishings. (Seems I was a budding home & garden enthusiast even then.)

The recent Spring Break visit of my little niece, who is absolutely gaga over all things American Girl, expanded my miniature horizons into the 18" scale. (I was rather strictly a 1" scale collector prior to our various toy bonding sessions, which included a trip to the American Girl store in a nearby town.) During our far-reaching chats, I was peppered with questions. I was asked why I had all this "little furniture" when none of it fit American Girl dolls --- as if no other toys could dare exist --- and then it was inquired whether I could make "bigger" things for American Girl dolls. I'd never considered it, but then thought, why not? And so, virtually overnight I became a budding collector of 18" scale miniatures.

Toy Horse on display at the American Girl Store

As a creative side (or sub-) project to this blog, I'm now also developing ModDoll (as in model) Home, which is also all about "making a dream home" --- except in 18" scale, a sort of Castle Modern mini me, if you will. (As is often done in Architecture, in Design and in Fashion, I plan to demo some of the things I'm working on in real life at Castle Modern in miniature at ModDoll Home, thus, it will serve a practical purpose. However, I also plan to use ModDoll Home to stage whatever ideas strike my fancy.)

Overall ModDoll Home will showcase the latest in dollhouse decorating, employing a combination of things that I personally design & make along with things that I buy (or otherwise acquire), exactly as in real life. It should be fun!

NOTE: The ModDoll Home mini blog is currently under construction. In the meantime, I've registered Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram accounts to get things going (and protect my extended brand), using @ModDollHome on each platform. Not much content as yet, but eventually....